CHAPTER 2

She glanced at the man in her passenger seat he was looking at her excitedly. He must have taken her one word response as her decision to join his group.

Ugh, she thought. I hope they're not all as annoyingly happy as him.

Glenn took the car ride to observe the new member of the group. She was young, she didn't look any older then twenty, but she was very pretty with long dark brown hair and dark blue eyes. He noticed her long legs and thin figure.

She quirked an eyebrow when his eyes made their way back up to her face. She knew he was looking at her, checking her out and she wanted to make him feel as uncomfortable as possible. She glared at him and he turned away quickly, trying to hide his blush and embarrassment.

"So, um what's your name?" He said shyly.

"Noel." She said smirking, clearly enjoying his lack of comfort. She looked at him, asking what his name was.

"Glenn." He said with a small smile. "So, Noel, how old are you?" She sighed and answered.

"Nineteen." She didn't ask how old he was; she didn't really care. She knew he was just noticing how young she was because she was on her own.

"Any family? Or friends that you're with?" He cleared his throat. "Or are you alone?"

"Alone." She said flatly. But he just continued to question her.

"So where are ya from? No where around here judging by that accent." He said with a smile.

"You got me." She said sarcastically. "New York."

"Really?" He asked excitedly. "Where in New York?"

"Manhattan." His expression changed. Everyone knew Manhattan was hit the first and the hardest with the infection. That's why she was down here in the middle of nowhere.

Glenn spent the rest of the short ride telling Noel about the members of the group as she listened silently, taking in all the information.

When they pulled into the quarry Noel felt her heart rate quicken. But she remained calm and cool on the outside as she became increasingly nervous. Glenn hopped out of the car and walked over to the small group that gathered at their arrival. She took her time getting out of the car and stretched slowly when she finally hopped out. Glenn waved her over and she pushed the door closed and took a deep breath as she put on a brave face.

"This is Noel." Glenn said motioning to her. Her face remained indifferent as she scanned through the small group of people. She quickly recognized everyone from Glenn's description and nodded to a tall man who looked like he got his nose broken one too many times.

"Officer." She said as she nodded. "Glenn said I'd be able to stay, that it was up to you." People exchanged glances and the man looked slightly confused. She ignored him as he looked her up and down but her eyes remained fixed on his with her slightly cold and intimidating eyes. He held her gaze and smiled as a woman spoke up.

"Of course you can stay." Said a women standing to his right with a young boy in font of her. "I'm Lori and this is my son Carl."

"Of course." Shane agreed quickly "Its nice to meet you Noel, I'm Shane." He held out his hand and she shook it strongly not letting him mistake her small, soft hands for weak ones.

Lori and a woman named Carol helped Noel set up her tent and get settled. Most of the group introduced themselves.

They seem all right, she thought to herself.

"I'm pretty stocked on food." Noel told Lori as she motioned to her truck. "Feel free to take whatever and add it to your supply." Lori smiled.

"Thank you, we've been having trouble keeping up with the food demand." She said sighing. "I even pick wild mushrooms and a few members hunt for meat." She nodded her head towards to older men at the other end of camp.

Noel studied the men; neither had introduced themselves like the rest of the group. They looked related, "Brothers?" She asked Lori.

"Uh, yeah, the Dixon's." She seemed uneasy, "The younger one, Daryl, he's quiet, does most of the hunting but he's got a temper. The older one, Merle, has the same temper but doesn't know when to shut his mouth. You should stay away from them. Especially Merle, he's pretty disgusting and definitely won't be able to keep his mouth shut around a pretty girl like you." Lori smiled at the last part but Noel could tell she was serious. "They're a different breed." Lori mumbled as she walked away.

Glenn helped her move some of her things from her car to her tent. He was eyeing her supplies and seemed impressed by her amount of firepower. She had two large cardboard boxes; one filled with guns and parts the other with ammunition, along with a few other silent weapons.

"Jesus." Glenn said as he helped her with the boxes. "What did you rob an armory?" He asked laughing. Glenn's eyebrows shot up as she smirked.

"A girls gotta survive, right?" She said with a shrug. Glenn walked away shaking his head.

This girl's kinda crazy, he thought.